Tube for toothpaste or similar material



ATTORNEY March 31, 1970 R. P. SETERA I TUBE FOR TOOTHPASTE 0R SIMILARMATERIAL Filed May 16, 1968 United States Patent O 3,503,544 TUBE FORTOOTHPASTE R SIMILAR MATERIAL Roger Paul Setera, San Francisco, Calif.(2704 NE. 27th, Portland, Oreg. 97212) Filed May 16, 1968, Ser. No.729,698 Int. Cl. B65d 47/00 US. Cl. 222--556 1 Claim ABSTRACT OF THEDISCLOSURE A toothpaste or other tube is formed with a head at the upperend provided with a flat groove into which fits a hinged cover having aplug which enters the neck of the tube when the cover is closed, the lidhaving a projecting free end whereby it may be flipped open with thethumb of the hand holding the tube, thus permitting the tube to beopened and used with one hand.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to closures for tubescontaining toothpaste, shaving cream, or any other material adapted tobe extruded from the tube upon the exertion of pressure thereon. Thesetubes ordinarily are provided with screw caps which requires that thetube be held in one hand and the cap removed with the other, andreplaced in the same manner. The caps are easily dropped on the floor orlost.

There have been developed various types of tubes of this characterhaving covers, usually hinged, or connected to the edge of the tubes byflexible plastic elements so that the tubes may be opened with one hand.Such tubes, however, are usually relatively expensive to manufacture andvery often awkward in use, it the user attempts to open the tube withone hand.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION With the present invention the tube is providedwith a preferably integral head having a top surface which is flat andsubstantially perpendicular to the axis of the tube. This surface isprovided with a straight relatively wide flat groove adapted to receivea flat cover hinged at one end to the head of the tube and having itsfree end projecting beyond the head to be readily accessible so that theuser may hold the tube in one hand and flip the cover to open positionwith this thumb.

The cover is provided with a tapered plug adapted to enter the outletopening of the tube when the cover is closed. The entire cover is madeof plastic, having an appreciable degree of flexibility and this fact isutilized in forming the hinge means for the cover. The cover is providedwith a transverse rib the ends of which have small projecting trunnionsadapted to enter openings in .the head of the tube to hingedly connectthe cover to the head. A recess is formed in the head of the tube at thehinge end of the cover to provide space for the hinge rib, and therecess is somewhat wider than the width of the cover to facilitate theentrance of the hinge trunnions into their openings.

The top surface of the cover is flat throughout its area so that whenthe cover is closed, the tube may be inverted and the surface of thecover placed on a flat surface whereby the tube will remain in standingposition without support. To increase the stability of the tube when sostanding, the top surface of the head is flat and lies in the plane ofthe top surface of the cover so that the tube will remain standing ininverted position with a substantial degree of stability.

3,503,544 Patented Mar. 31, 1970 BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGSDESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT A conventional tube 10 fortoothpaste, shaving cream or other material, is formed in a conventionalmanner except that it is provided at the upper end with an integral head12, one side 14 of which extends substantially to the extremity of thetube 10 while the other side 16 is offset inwardly from the adjacentside of the tube. The head 12 is provided with a flat upper surface 18substantially perpendicular to the axis of the tube and provided with arelatively flat groove 20 having parallel side edges as shown in FIGURE3.

A cover indicated as a whole by the numeral 22 is provided for the tube.This cover is formed flat throughout except as noted below and is of thesame depth as the groove 20 to lie therein when the cover is closed asshown in FIGURES 1 and 4. Opposite edges 24 of the cover are paralleland lie adjacent to edges of the groove 20. It will be noted that topsurfaces of the cover and the head 12 lie in a common plane as shown inFIGURE 4.

The cover 22 is formed of plastic, having an appreciable degree offlexibility for a reason which will become apparent, and the cover isprovided on its underside with a tapered integral plug 26 adapted to liewithin the opening 28 in the head 12 through which material in the tubeis extruded when the cover is opened.

One end of the cover 22 is provided at its underside with an integraltransverse rib 28, the main body of which terminates in the planes ofthe edges 24 of the cover. Each end of the rib 28 is provided with asmall relatively short trunnion 30 adapted to form hinge pins for thecover. At such end of the cover 22, the head 12 is provided with arecess 32 to allow space for the rib 28. The side edges of the recess 32are spaced from the edges of the cover as at 34 for a purpose to bedescribed. The opposite end 36 of the cover projects substantiallybeyond the setback portion 16 of the head 12 as clearly shown in FIGURE1.

OPERATION The trunnions 30 are sufliciently small in diameter as torender them somewhat flexible. In assembling the device, the cover 22will be arranged in a vertical plane and tilted laterally of the head sothat one of the trunnoins 30 may be inserted in the associated opening38. The cover is then pushed in the direction of such opening until theedge of the cover engages the adjacent side edge 34 of the recess 32.The other trunnion 30 then may be pushed downwardly and will flex overthe edge 34 to snap into the associated opening 38. The cover then maybe slid slightly in the direction of the trunnion last inserted in itsopening to center it relative to the recess 32.

The cover will hinge about the trunnions 30 to move to the closedposition shown in FIGURES 1 and 4, the edges of the groove 20 maintainthe cover properly centered. When it is desired to open the tube, theuser may hold the tube in one hand and use his thumb against theprojecting end 36 of the cover and flip the cover to the open positionshown in FIGURE 2. Paste or cream then may be extruded through theopening 28, whereupon the cover will be closed as shown in FIGURE 4 withthe plug 26 arranged in the opening 28. The tapering of the plug 26permits the hinging of the cover about the common axis of the trunnions30 with no dragging of the plug against the side of the opening 28.

As previously stated, the cover is of substantial area and with thecover closed, the tube may be inverted to stand on end, with the surfaceof the cover resting on a fiat supporting surface. To increase thestability of the tube when so standing on end, the top surface of thehead 12 is flush with the top surface of the cover as shown in FIGURE 4.Thus the tube will have substantial stability when standing on end, asstated.

The tube and head are cast in the usual manner. The cover as a wholebeing formed of plastic may be very cheaply made and cheaply installedwithout the added expense of separate metallic hinge pins and withoutthe use of flexible connecting flaps between the cover and tube, whichare subject to breakage after repeated bending.

From the foregoing it will nOW be seen that there is herein provided animproved tube for toothpaste or similar material which accomplishes allof the objects of this invention and others, including many advantagesof great practical utility and commercial importance.

I claim:

1. A toothpaste tube or the like comprising a tubular body and a head,said head having an extrusion opening therein, said head being providedin the upper surface thereof with a wide shallow groove havingsubstantially parallel sides, a fiat plastic cover approximately thewidth and depth of said groove and adapted to lis therewithin when thecover is closed, said cover being provided at the opposite edges of oneend with oppositely projecting trunnions possessing an inherent degreeof flexibility, the adjacent end of said head having a recess thereinwider than said groove, the edges of said recess being provided withopenings hingedly to receive said trunnions, the end of said coveropposite said trunnions projecting substantially beyond said head toform a finger piece for opening said cover, said cover being ofsubstantial area and having a fiat upper surface perpendicular to theaxis of the tube, and said head having a fiat upper surface flush withthe surface of said cover to support the tube in vertical position wheninverted and placed upon a flat supporting surface, said cover having aninverted frusto-conical hollow compressible plug on its under sideadapted to enter the opening in said head and when said cover is closed,and to be held therein by friction when the tube is closed.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 12/1953 Oldenburg 222563 X 1/1960Schiller 222563 X US. Cl. X.R. 222563

